Lincoln train drivers hold third day of strikes

Lincolnshire looks set to receive nearly £30million in levelling up funding from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn budget, with a focus on improvements to the A16 and a new cinema in Gainsborough.

The East Midlands will receive a total of £203 million for 10 projects across the region. including £19.6 million for improvements to the A16 corridor between Spalding and Boston in Lincolnshire and a £10.3 for a new four-screen cinema in Gainsborough town centre.

The Gainsborough plans involve redeveloping the old Lindsey Centre site, including a four-screen Savoy cinema, three commercial units and a car park.

Conservative County Council leaders have welcomed the budget which they said will “provide the foundations for a stronger economy” in the county going forward.

In particular they praised the infrastructure investments and levelling up funding, post-16 skills training and education and business rate discounts.

Council leader Martin Hill, also indicated the latest moves by government “underlines how important it is for the county to get its own devolution deal.”

However, they said more needs to be done and have warned that they still face an annual funding shortfall of around £25-30 million which can only be met by increasing council tax, drawing on reserves or finding further savings. Adult social care funding also remains low.

Here are some of the statements from county leaders in reaction to today’s budget.

Councillor Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council

“It certainly looks like the country is in a far stronger economic position than expected at this time last year, which is great news.

“We welcome the £4.8bn of extra funding has been announced for local government and we look forward to receiving further information on that.

“It is likely that we will continue to face significant financial challenges, although we won’t receive the details of next year’s settlement until towards the end of the year.

“Local government has been at the forefront of government spending cuts for the last 10 years and our initial estimates suggest we face an annual funding shortfall of around £25-30m over the next few years. The only way to close that gap will be to increase council tax, draw on our reserves or find further savings – or more likely a combination of all three.

“A major issue for us is the growing demand for adult care and the additional costs this brings. The government has announced reforms, but any extra funding won’t come through for two or three years. We need action now, and we need to see a long-term plan for making adult care sustainable in a fair way. Council tax increases are not the way to do this, as some parts of the country will find it much easier to generate income in this manner.

“We’re look forward to learning more about the planned investment in infrastructure and funding for roads maintenance in non-city areas. We were disappointed to see our highways funding cut by £12m last year, as we know filling potholes is a top priority for our residents. Although we made up the shortfall ourselves last year, this isn’t something we can afford to keep doing. So we will be pushing the government to reinstate this funding and give Lincolnshire a fair share of any new money.

“It was good to see that our bid for Levelling-Up funding for road improvements around Boston and Spalding appears to have been successful. This package of improvements will not only help the food sector transport goods more easily, but should also mean less congestion for motorists in the area. And I’d like to congratulate WLDC on their successful bid for £10,274,858 million of Levelling-Up funds for Gainsborough.

“Significant funding has been given to the regional mayors to invest in transport infrastructure, which underlines how important it is for the county to get its own devolution deal. So we’ll continue to explore the opportunities with partners across the public sector to find a devolution arrangement that is right for Lincolnshire.

“Local councils have played a huge role in supporting our communities during the pandemic, highlighting the vital role they play. The extra funding for local government suggests this has been recognised and we hope that moving forward we are given the money we need to provide the services our residents rely on.”

Councillor Colin Davie, executive member for economy at LCC

“There’s a lot of positive news for the local economy in today’s Autumn Budget.

“We particularly welcome the additional funding for post-16 skills training. Not only will this provide local young people with the opportunity to go for better jobs, it will also help ensure local employers can find the skilled staff they need.

“The investment in further education was also good news. Colleges provide vocational skills that are critical to our local economies and are often major employers in the towns where they are located.  Let’s hope that the budget is the start of a sustained investment in this sector.

“The grant programme to attract international businesses to the UK is also a positive step. We expect this to help further our ambitions for the Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone, which was recently highlighted by government as an opportunity for attracting investment to the UK.

“We are pleased to see the government emphasise its commitment to tackling climate change with investment in the new green industries of the future and incentives to encourage businesses to invest in green technology. This is an important issue for us, as highlighted at the recent Lincolnshire Climate Summit.

“The 50% business rate discount for retail and hospitality, and the draught relief tax support for pubs too, will be greatly welcome and necessary for that sector. However, it is important that local councils aren’t left to foot the bill for these measures.

“Finally, I’m sure local businesses will welcome the cancellation of the planned rise in fuel duty – as will many residents who rely on their cars for getting around our rural county.”

Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness

“Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, this Conservative  Government is getting on with the job and delivering on the priorities of the British people. 

“This Budget will make a real difference to people in Boston & Skegness, helping working  families with the cost of living, supporting businesses with their recovery, and investing in our  public services so that everyone gets the world-class hospitals, schools, and police services  they deserve.  

“I was elected on a promise to level up and improve opportunity for people in Boston &  Skegness – and today’s Budget shows how this Government is delivering on that promise as  we build back better.” 

A young man from Lincoln has been crowned the best kart racer on the planet for his age range after winning the 2021 World Championships in Italy.

Lewis Wherrell, 11, won the X30 Mini World Championships in Adria, Italy on October 23.

Lewis qualified for the event after coming second in the British Championships this year, and the best 65 drivers from around the world gathered for the global event in Italy.

The competition was held over a five day period between October 18-23, and Lewis came out on top to take home the World Championship crown.

Lewis, who races for Oliver Rowland Motorsport, trains at Paul Fletcher International near Grantham and has been racing for five years since he began at his local track ELK Motorsport near Newark.

He is a year seven student at Sir Robert Pattinson Academy after leaving Fosseway Academy Primary School, and dreams of a career in motorsport.

Lewis said of his victory: “I am really pleased with winning the World Championship in Italy and it was a nice way to end the season after coming second in the British and LGM championships.

“I’d like to thank my family, all of my ORM team for their hard work and my sponsor Aalco metals who have helped me achieve this and hopefully we can continue with winning into 2022!”

You can see Lewis in action on the IWF21 livestream of the championships on YouTube.

There have been new 860 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday, as a fifth vaccine seeks approval in the UK.

The Greater Lincolnshire case figure is almost 10.88% down on the record-breaking 965 cases last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Novavax has submitted data for its phase three trial to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The latest COVID stats for Lincolnshire are:

• 860 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire with 638 in Lincolnshire, 123 in North East Lincolnshire and 99 in North Lincolnshire
• The latest figures saw Lincolnshire pass the 90,000 case mark
• Four further deaths were recorded in the government figures including three Lincolnshire and one North East Lincolnshire resident
• No further deaths were recorded in Greater Lincolnshire Hospitals
• Nationally cases increased by 43,941 while deaths rose by 207

The UK has already ordered 60 million doses of Novavax and bosses said the latest submission brings it “significantly closer” to delivery.

Stanley Erck, the company’s president and chief executive, said it would be the “first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, built on a proven, well-understood vaccine platform that demonstrated high efficacy against multiple strains of the coronavirus”.

“We look forward to MHRA’s review and will be prepared to deliver vaccine doses following what we anticipate will be a positive decision,” he said.

“We thank the clinical trial participants and trial sites in the United Kingdom, as well as the UK Vaccines Taskforce, for their support and vital contributions to this programme.”

Elsewhere, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics has shown around nine in 10 UK adults have COVID-19 antibodies, but that positivity rates in the 60-64-year-old age range were falling by 10%.

More than a million people in the Midlands have now had their COVID-19 top-up jab, the NHS said.

The region is the first to hit the milestone after the NHS kicked off the booster programme on September 16.

Nearly 16 million vaccines have already been delivered in the Midlands since the NHS in England made history when Margaret Keenan received the first jab outside of a clinical trial in Coventry in December 2020.

Alison Tonge, the NHS England and NHS Improvement director responsible for overseeing the vaccination programme across the Midlands, said: “It is fantastic to see the public step up to do all they can to keep building our wall of defence against COVID-19 with over a million already coming forward for their top-up vaccine.

“There are still a further one million people eligible for the booster vaccine who have yet to have their jab, so I would urge them to get protected as soon as possible.”

In Lincolnshire, 74,000 booster shots have been given to eligible people.

The county’s NHS is offering children aged 12-15 the opportunity to get their COVID vaccination at a series of ‘pop-up’ sessions at the county’s two mass vaccination centres during half-term.

Around 30% of that age range have been vaccinated so far.

Rebecca Neno, Director of Covid and Influenza Vaccination Programmes, NHS Lincolnshire CCG, said: “Our teams vaccinating 12-15s in schools have been exceptionally busy over the last few weeks and are doing an amazing job, helped by the support and cooperation of our school colleagues.

“We want to offer those who’ve missed their COVID vaccination in schools for whatever reason, or who are yet to have the vaccination in school… every opportunity to get vaccinated.”

The sessions will take place at PRSA and the Lincolnshire Showground for the remainder of this half-term week Wednesday-Friday from 2pm-7pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 10am-4pm.